Nicole Lesperance

This was such a fun, witchy YA read! Atmosphere you can physically feel while reading, interesting characters, and a mysterious vibe running through the story that makes you want to keep turning pages! I found Nicole Lesperance’s other book, The Depths, to be enjoyable for similar reasons. Lesperance seems to love playing up the settings in both books, too. In The Depths, it’s a tropical island, and in A Spell to Wake the Dead, it’s spooky Cape Cod beaches in the middle of the night. show more The story is more gruesome than I realized going in. At times it reminded me of gothic horror novels from the 1960s and 70s with how utterly outrageous the plot is, but that just added to the charm for me! If you read YA, are into witchy spell stuff, and don’t mind a little gore, I’d recommend this one. show less

Witchcraft and paganism is more popular than ever, especially with young women. This book tackles the subject with two teenage girls, who are more than practiced in the art. Out on Cape Cod, they cast a spell found on the internet, with severely unintended consequences.

Mazzy and Nora are the best of friends. Outcasts for the way they dress and the fact that they are practicing witches. Mazzy is the practical one. Known for being down to earth and responsible. Nora is more flighty and show more dramatic. Yin and yang. So when Nora wants to cast an unknown spell under a full moon at the beach, Mazzy has her doubts. Rather than be the buzzkill, Mazzy goes along with it. And they bring Elliot, the third part of their group, with them.

The spell doesn’t seem to do much, but then they discover a body. A woman, washed up on shore. It’s bad enough to find the body, but then the discovery consumes Mazzy and Nora, and they are convinced they have to solve the mystery. Just that they have no idea what they are up against.

This was a fabulous novel about youth and expectations and figuring out who you are. I love these coming of age novels that immerse you in something other than your own experiences. Mazzy tries so hard to be the responsible one to balance out the frivolous Nora. While this is a YA novel, it was so good. I truly believe that YA is for everyone. Capture a little bit of youth once again.

Really well constructed, this novel takes you into the flexible and willing minds of young women. Shows you that even what is so well-intentioned is sometimes very dangerous. Also, that looks can be deceiving. What you think you know so well, isn’t always what’s fact. People can surprise you in ways you never expected.

Loved it. show less

Eulalie Island should be a paradise, but to Addie Spencer, it's more like a prison.

Forced to tag along to the remote island on her mother's honeymoon, Addie isn't thrilled about being trapped there for two weeks. The island is stunning, with its secluded beaches and forests full of white flowers. But there's something eerie and unsettling about the place.

After Addie meets an enigmatic boy on the beach, all the flowers start turning pink. The island loves you, he tells her. But she can't stop show more sleepwalking at night, the birds keep calling her name, and there's a strange little girl in the woods who wants to play hide-and-seek. When Addie learns about two sisters who died on the island centuries ago, she wonders if there's more to this place, things only she can see.

Beneath its gorgeous surface, Eulalie Island is hiding dark, tangled secrets. And if Addie doesn't unravel them soon, the island might never let her go. show less

This book grabs you right from the start and doesn't let go. The action starts right away when 2 teenagers, Mazzy and Nora, are doing a spell on a secluded beach, under a full moon, to find things that are lost, and find something they do. Unfortunately for them, and their friend Elliot who rounds out the trio, they find a dead body, but one without hands or teeth. They do end up finding some random teeth scattered around, which only adds to the mystery. When Nora begins to feel a very show more strong connection with the dead woman, and Mazzy has an ominous vision related to her, she and her friends are pulled into a mystery that could have very deadly consequences, especially when the bodies start to pile up.

There were so many things I loved about this book. You get some serious atmospheric chills and thrills, great characters, a friendship that goes beyond the average high school friendship, and a possible romance. But the best part, and the thing that draws y0u in immediately, is the unique premise and the sheer spookiness of the story. The setting is described so well you can feel the spray of the ocean on your face and taste the salt on your skin. The whole book is very well written and mesmerizing. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for other works by Nicole Lesperance to read.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Nicole Lesperance for the opportunity to read and review A Spell to Wake the Dead. show less